Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Faith for the Journey Welcomes Clarice James

Clear Cache and Hit Refresh

by Clarice James

(Guest Author sponsored Giveaway -see details below)

I’m a person with a list of a thousand things—all good—I
want to do before I die. Sometimes I think I have to cram them all into one
month. When my activities start to overlap, things get pushed around: my
priorities out of order, my finances out of line, my emotions out of control,
and my back, well, just out.

Recently, when my serenity was crowded out by busyness, I
had a hard time hearing God's voice. And I needed to. [Duh.] So I prayed for
the Lord to speak loud enough for me to hear over the din of my daily
activities. He gave me this personalized paraphrase of 1 Kings 19:11-14 instead:

Go stand over there and be quiet. Don't check your email
or Facebook and stay away from Pinterest. Wait for God to speak.

A critique group praised my manuscript and bolstered
my hopes before God, but God wasn’t to be found in the critique group; after
the critique, a great idea for a writing workshop, but God wasn’t in the
workshop; and after the great idea, positive remarks on a blog, but God wasn’t
in the positive remarks or the blog; and after the positive remarks, a gentle
and quiet whisper.

When Clarice heard the quiet voice, she muffled her face
with her great lap blanket, went to the mouth of her writing cave, and stood
there. A quiet voice asked, “So Clarice, now tell me, what are you doing here?”
Clarice said it again, “I’ve been writing my heart out for God, the
God-of-the-Angel-Armies, because the people of God have turned toward the
secular market, destroyed your places of Christian publication, and murdered
the written word. I’m the only one left, and now they’re trying to kill me.”

Oh, the ego of it all! When I feel like I’m not able to
give up some of my activities, writing or otherwise, because there is no one
who can possibly replace me, that’s when I know I’m in trouble. BIG FAT PRIDE
TROUBLE.

To make it right as quick as I can, I want to clear my
cache and start again. However, if I’m not careful, I could rush the process
and eliminate the wrong things.

So . . . now I’m waiting—really waiting—to hear the Lord’s
gentle whisper. When the cache is cleared, I will hit refresh.

As they continued
their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed
him and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the
Master, hanging on every word he said. But Martha was pulled away by all she
had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. ‘Master,
don’t you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend
me a hand.’ The Master said, ‘Martha, dear Martha,
you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One
thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it’s the main course, and won’t
be taken from her.’ ~ Luke 10:38-42 (MSG)

Clarice James

GIVEAWAY

Clarice is giving away one print copy of her book, Double Header.

Comment (make sure you leave your email address) on this blog to be eligible for the giveaway!

How do you "clear the cache" of your life in order to hear the voice of the Lord?

One winner will be selected by random draw on 3/22/2017 and notified by email.

About the Author:

Clarice G. James enjoys writing smart, fun, relatable
contemporary fiction. Readers are likely to find a thread of romance, a
sprinkling of humor, and/or an element of mystery throughout each story. When
she’s not writing or reading, Clarice enjoys organizing author and writing
events. Her debut novel, Double Header (Mountainview
Books LLC)was one of three winners
in the 2014 Jerry Jenkins Operation First Novel contest. Party of One, a finalist in the 2011 Operation First Novel contest,
will be released April 2017 (Elk Lake Publishing).

Casey Gallagher credits a
carefully crafted game plan for her wins: her solid marriage to Sam; her
lucrative marketing career in Boston; and her popular sports column, Double
Header, which she writes with her brother, Griffin. When Casey discovers that
her late father, the one man she idolized, had an affair which produced a son
even he didn't know about, she’s determined to discover his identity before her
father’s reputation is blemished. As Casey attempts to fit the changes life
throws at her into her idealistic plan, she is challenged by the dialogue
running in her head. Is it her conscience or her imagination? Or is it the
voice of the God she’s not sure she believes in?

17 comments:

I know exactly what you speak of, Clarice. I think it's Satan's way of keeping us preoccupied in a world full of distractions. A person has to be very intentional about turning off the world and its noise and tuning into that Still Small Voice.

I'm new to your work and books. If the books are as well spoken as this post, then it will do well. I understand and admire the stand that you take about escaping idolitry. When we put what we want, what we're doing, what we love - more than God, then is it an idol? Do we dare call it that and step way back and let God back on the throne?

Thanks for taking the time to post a thoughtful reply, Terry. It's my goal to incorporate Scriptural principles throughout my contemporary fiction. I believe it's one more way to minister to one another.

Terry, I know you will love Clarice's books! And yes, I do believe anything I place above the Lord is an idol...even my pathetic computer. Grrr. (Although I did get a new one.) But posts like Clarice's help remind me that God is and should still the center of my world, no matter how bust or noisy I choose to let it become. Thanks for your comments! You're awesome as always.

The only time in my world that is really quiet is from 4:30 - 5:30 in the morning. If I miss this opportunity to be still and listen for God - the world drifts down the stairs one by one and then the quiet is gone. If we allow life to take over our days, it is difficult to know what God has planned for our lives. I loved your post! I also loved reading Double Header and look forward to reading Party of One!